Space Oddity: Episode IV Return
by Observer123
Summary: Finally he's coming home! But his return was not even a bit like he would have ever expected it. Not only that he had crashed onto the planet with his crew members and was stranded there, also everything had changed on his planet. The world he knew was destroyed after a invasion, Kitty was kidnapped by the enemy and there is also his teenage son who does not accept him...
1. The fall

**-Hey guys and welcome to the last episode of Space Oddity. I don´t want to say much so just have fun reading and leave a comment :)-**

Expect the unexpectable and predict the unpredictable. That was a sentence Dudley had heard a few times in his life. But he never really asked himself what it really meant. After all, doing these two things were impossible.

So what did it mean? Was it perhaps an incentive to use supernatural clairvoyant skills he hadn´t explored yet? Was it really necessary to open a third eye and risk a look into the future to know what´s unexpectable and unpredictable?

Or is it just another way to say: be prepared? Dudley once tried to be prepared for everything and life had nevertheless surprised him so evilly that he now followed another philosophy. A philosophy that even gave him a feeling of inner calmness after hearing the sentence:

"Ladies and gentlemen, our engine just got hit by… something purple." From the pilot of the little shuttle that just entered the atmosphere. At least if you can raging and wild panic inner calmness. But at least he was prepared for this panic and so used to it that he could still react despite of it.  
"Wonderful… just wonderful." Sighed the man with the angular face who sounded more annoyed then tensed. "Full energy on the inertia dampers. Maybe we make it down in one piece."

"Aye aye, captain." The pilot with the black short hair replied quickly.  
"Dudley!" The captain addressed Dudley by snapping his fingers towards the dog in a rhythm that was just making everyone aggressive who heard it. "Scan the surface and give us a good landing spot, to the others, fasten your seatbelts."

Dudley nodded and pulled an old school hardware micrometer thick touch display and started typing on it. Swiftly a topographic map of the planet opened and made everything around him stop for a second. To his big surprise he recognized this map. The seas, the land, the poles, the arrangement of everything, he knew it well.

"Dudley, I need a landing spot!" yelled the captain and the rhythm of his snapping fingers got faster.  
"There!" Dudley pushed on the screen on the east coast of the continent he knew best.  
"Thank you." The pilot said irritated because of the latency and pulled the shuttle´s nose up. A sudden jolt traveled through the shuttle and the crew was pressed with in immense force into their seats.

"Oh… things are getting better any second." Sighed the pilot and grabbed joystick in front of him tightly.  
"Altitude 70 kilometer, speed 26,732 kilometer per second, hull temperature 1873 Kelvin." A man with dark blonde hair and circles under his eyes said.

"Let´s hope they didn´t hit our life support system…" The captain said. "Meternagel, stay attentive for more purple… things. Uhm, Isaac, could you…"  
"That was plasma." The man with the eye circles said.

"So, some shot at us…" Meant the captain.  
"Basically yes. And unfortunately they had a good timing…"  
"Right in the moment of the atmospheric black out." Meternagel growled while he held with greatest difficulty the helm of the ship.

"Altitude 40 kilometers…" Isaac said and in reply a man in the back of the shuttle yelled.  
"Black out is over, shields are up again."  
"Yay… timing." Dudley meant scathingly and clang onto the armrests of his seat.

"Calm… calm…" Powers started mumbling and continued it like a mantra.  
"Down to the ground we go, never wanted to die so. We will hit the ground so hard, scratch our rests from the yard…" Meternagel started singing loudly as Isaac yelled.  
"10 Kilometers, 400 Kilometers per second, 500 Kelvin."

"Try to hit the water!" The man from the back of the shuttle meant. "If we hit it in an obtuse angle we can flip over the water´s surface."  
Meternagel gritted his teeth and pulled the joystick with all his might towards him.

"100 meters…" Isaac couldn´t end his sentence because in this moment the ship hit the water surface. The force that pushed the crew this time into their seats was tremendous and if the inertia dampers of the ship weren´t active they all had died because of that.

But the ride wasn´t over it. The ship bounced hissing from the surface back up into the sky and landed again on the surface. The collision this time wasn´t that violent but nevertheless Dudley knew that he would feel this one and the following three bounces in his back during everything he does.

A last time the ship hit the ground but this time no bounce followed. The ship simply stood still. And against Dudley´s expectation, the shuttle seemed intact. No cracks in the hull, no warning lights, expected the one that warned that the main engine was broken. Everything was against his expectation.

Just the crew looked like Dudley imagined how the ship should look like. But he couldn´t blame them. Every bone in his body hurt and he guessed that they didn´t feel any better.  
"René… it was your idea to play skimming stones?" Dudley asked moaning loudly.  
"Y..Yes…"

"Remember me to fire you when we are back on my ship." Dudley earned a moaning laughter mix from René for this remark.  
"I don´t know why you are all so grumpy" Meternagel turned grinning on his seat like he just made the perfect landing. "It worked much better than expected."

"I think I need to puke." Isaac meant obviously fighting against his stomach.  
"Don´t you dare." Meant the tanned black-haired woman in front of him that was wearing black leather jumpsuit.

"Do it do it!" The captain cheered the scientist on.  
"Powers, stop it, do you know how hard it is to clean this thing?!" Hissed the woman and sounded like that this jumpsuit was her child.

"None of my business… what actually makes it so amusing" Powers laughed and then stood up while his bones cracked loudly. "Ouch… Well, now that we are standing still, let´s see where we are. On the screen, John."

Meternagel pushed a few buttons and the ceiling of the ship started showing the surrounding area. The planet´s surface offered actually a rather depressing image. The soil was dry and black. No plant grew there except trees even though these trees didn´t live, they were burnt and even blacker than the soil. Dudley couldn´t remember that any region on his homeworld like that, especially not the one he aimed for.

"Oh I forgot, it´s up there" Powers said and tilted his back to the ceiling. Also the joints there made a loud cracking sound. "Okay... I think I can´t move my head anymore…"  
"Haha!" Laughed the woman and also looked to the ceiling while moaning in pains.

"Wow… that is not how this planet should look like" Isaac said and took many deep breaths to suppress his urge to throw up. "This planet is in the habitable zone… this seems kind of… wrong."  
"Indeed." Said Powers. "Meternagel turn the camera slowly.

"Aye aye." The pilot said and slowly the picture on the screen turned. But it didn´t changed much. Always the same impressions of burnt trees and black soil greeted the crew until, after a 180 degree turn, something odd appeared.

The crew and especially Dudley were utterly surprised seeing a group of people hiding behind the twigs of a dead brown bush. But the biggest surprise wasn´t that there were people, it was…  
"A dog!" exclaimed Isaac and it seems his nausea was gone all of the sudden. "A dog, a rat and… something else… I have no clue but it is something."

It was true, a dog with yellow fur, a tall rat with crooked teeth and an undefinable short little thing in a lab coat stood outside behind the bush and eyed the shuttle fearfully but curiously.  
"I think this… but…" Dudley stammered and stood up.  
"I think time for our first contact." Smiled Powers and rubbed his hands. With a jerk and under a loud sound he moved his head back into the idle position.

"Don´t forget that they shot at us!" Meant René angrily looking at the group.  
"Actually that´s their right to shoot ships that don´t ask for permission to land." Powers shrugged and then said. "Meternagel open the doors. Let´s greet them."

Slowly and squeaky the ramp was lowered to the ground and the door opened. Dazzling bright white light streamed out of the ship, so bright that it even the black ground seemed white in it.  
"Dammit, does it have to be so bright?" hissed Powers as he walked down the ramp slowly and cautiously. He moved to the end of it and looked directly at the bush.

"Greetings strangers." He said with a friendly gesture of his hand. "We come in peace and apologize for entering your atmosphere without permission. Please apologize our behavior but certain circumstances made these action necessary."

The only thing Powers heard in reply was mumbling and the sentence "What did it say?"  
"Oh great." Sighed the captain. "They can´t understand me." He called to the ship.  
"But obviously you can understand them without the translation implant needed to learn the language…" Isaac meant pensively. "Let me try something." The scientist stepped out of the shuttle and built himself up next to Powers.

"Hello, strangers." He said in the language Dudley brought to them. Even though he had once learned this language, mostly while he taught Dudley their language, his accent was terrible and just shouted out 'I am an alien.'

"It spoke!" shrieked the rat.  
"I h..h..heard that." The little thing said to the rat and then stepped courageously out of the bush.  
"What my friend here wanted to say." Meant Isaac clearing his throat. "Is that we are sorry for trespassing and that we come in peace."

"You are not lizards…" said the little thing in the lab coat and came closer to Powers and Isaac. "…or are you." It pointed a gun at Isaac and then at Powers.  
"Lizards?" Powers asked Isaac and the scientist shrugged in reply.

"They are definitely spies! Shot them!" The dog said and jumped with a gun out of the bush.  
"Could you maybe explain what you mean?" Isaac said to the three.  
"You know exactly what I mean!"

"We could need some help here." Powers said. "Dudley, would you come out?"  
"I… I´m not sure…" Dudley stammered.  
"That´s an order." The authority in Powers noise left no room for discussion.

Inside the shuttle the dog sighed and stood up. Carefully he stepped onto the ramp and strode down. The reaction of his arrival outside changed the behavior of the little group outside completely.  
"That´s im…i…impossible." Mumbled the little thing and let his gun fall to the ground.

"Hello… Hello Keswick." Meant Dudley insecurely and stood with frozen feet on his spot.  
"This can´t be you… this is i..i..impossible." Keswick walked to Dudley and stared at him.  
"It´s been a while, huh?" Dudley meant scratching the back of his head and was wondering that Keswick was still alive.

Shouldn´t he be dead already? But somehow it wasn´t completely impossible to think that Keswick survived so long. After all he was always a weird guy, maybe he found a way to expend his lifespan.  
"Are you r..r..really Dudley Donald Puppy?" asked the little guy flabbergasted.  
"Donald?" asked Isaac and Powers.

"Guys, please." Sighed the dog. "And yes, I am Dudley … Donald… Puppy. Born in Petroplis. Son of Peg Puppy."  
"But how can you be a..a..alive?" Keswick asked. "You were sucked into this s..s..singularity."  
"Reverted tachyon impulse." Meant Dudley quick like it was an answer to a question in a quiz.

"Okay… that didn´t sound like Dudley P..P..Puppy." Kewick said smiling.  
"Well, I´ve learned a few things." Smiled Dudley back and before they both know they shared a hug. A hug that two friends would share after a long time.

"Heartwarming." Said Isaac drily. "But we should focus."  
"Indeed." Smiled Dudley widely and both he and Keswick let each other go. The dog´s smile faded as he looked at the depressing area around them. "Keswick… what happened here?"

"That´s a long story and we s..s..shouldn´t discuss this out here. Can we go into your shuttle?"  
"Sure, just follow me." Dudley nodded and guided the group back into the ship where the René, Meternagel and the tick greeted them with words they didn´t understand.

"What did they say?" asked the rat insecurely.  
"They said hello." Meant Dudley pointed at a row of seats that were behind René.  
"Tick" Said Powers as he sat down "Be so kind and swap seats with this… what was his name?"  
"Keswick."

"Yes, Keswick." Said the captain and the tick complied.  
"Okay, Keswick, take this seat." Dudley pointed at the empty seat next to him as he sat down.  
Keswick nodded and took the seat. His eyes grew wide as he sat down. "That´s unbelievably c..c..comfortable."

"Our chair technology is lightyears ahead of any other." Said Meternagel grinning.  
"What did he s..s..say?" Keswick asked.  
"He said that our chair technology is lightyears ahead of any other." Isaac repeated.

"Oh… seems so." Smiled Keswick lightly what was actually smile because he wanted to be polite.  
Powers cleared his throat. "Isaac, can you program the computer to simultaneously translate the words we say? Want to have them briefed too."

"On it, Sly." Isaac said and typed some commands into the console in front of him. He signalized Powers that he was done by pointing at him.  
"Okay, test test one two three." Powers said and immediately his words were translated into a language the three passengers also understood. Powers nodded satisfied and then said "Okay, much better. I am glad that it´s possible for me to greet you personally now. I want to welcome you aboard."

"Uhm… t..t..thank you." Keswick said and nodded.  
"No need, anyway, back to what´s important." Powers turned to the pilot. "Meternagel, what´s the shuttle´s status?"

"Well, better than expected." Meternagel stretched a little and continued sighing. "Our inertia dampers are down on 20 percent but they should work things going rough. But our main engine crossed the Jordan, the auxiliary engines should still work though."

"Weaponry, shields?"  
"Still online."  
"That is f..f..fantastic!" Keswick exclaimed in relief. "That means we can d..d..defend ourselfs, right?  
Powers turned to him and looked surprised. "Yes… sure."

"Keswick, could you explain what happened here? And why is it necessary to defend ourselves?"  
"I´m going to tell it to you but first we have to move, if the l..l..lizards find us here, we´re dead."  
"Well… okay. Meternagel, set a course to…"  
"Wait a second." Dudley said and pulled the foil display out of the wall and showed it to Keswick. "Just tap at the spot you want us to go."

Keswick eyed the map critically and then pushed at a spot around ten kilometers away from their location.  
"Okay, Meternagel, fly to this coordinates." Powers ordered. "Oh and try to do it as inconspicuously as possible. Apparently, aggressors are out there."

"Aye aye." Said the pilot activated the ships auxiliary engines. Rumbling the shuttle started moving, always hovering close to the ground because that was all what these engines could do.  
"Okay, Keswick, now." Dudley meant with a stern voice.

"Okay, I´ll give you a short o..o..overview over the last year." Keswick meant. "We were attacked by a species we call the l..l..lizards. They simply came here and took over and destroyed our world. We d..d..didn´t stood a chance. So we hid."

"I´m sorry to hear so." Dudley meant concernedly.  
"It was a hard year but we made it to establish a w..w..working, partially armed, resistance."  
"I guess we´re heading there." Meternagel meant as he typed on a display next to the helm.

"I..I..Indeed." Keswick nodded. "The guys there will love to see you, Dudley… well and maybe also you others after they got used to your s..s..strange looks."  
"I guess that these guys looks are a pretty hard culture shock for you, huh?" Dudley giggled and looked to Powers who sat in front of him. "I remember when I saw them for the first times… I screamed."

"I can imagine t..t..that." Laughed Keswick while the others around them cleared their throats.  
"It´s not like you were such a treat for our eyes." Mumbled Isaac insulted.  
"Pardon?" Dudley asked raising an eyebrow.  
"Especially when you eat you look utterly ugly."

"Indeed, I also saw that." Powers meant.  
"He always tries to stuff everything into his mouth and forgets to chew." Meternagel outlined with his hands, without turning around, the expansion of Dudley´s cheeks after he crammed all his food into it.

"Oh yes, exactly." Isaac nodded laughing. "I always hope that he maybe chokes on that so this tragedy would end."  
"Oh thank you." Dudley spitted poisonous sarcasm at the three ringleaders before he turned back to Keswick and changed the topic. "Can we somehow help you?"

"We can need everyone who can hold a gun."  
"Excuse me but we are worth more than simple foot soldiers." Huffed Isaac and shook his head.  
"That was in no way meant o..o..offensive." Keswick meant quickly in fear he could. "Let´s say we can n..n..need any help we can find."

"Besides that, we are actually the ones who need help." Powers crossed his arms and sighed. "Our ship is almost falling apart and we could really need some support."  
"Sure, I think we can h..h..help you repair this." Keswick said and let his eyes wander through the shuttle.

"Oh, this is not our ship." Smiled Powers pretentiously. "Our ship is one lightyear away from here and unfortunately too damaged to rendezvous with us here."  
"You have another ship?!" Keswick made his excitement about these news visible by jumping out of his seat. "You need to tell that the c..c..chief!"

Dudley was taken aback for a second. It was like Keswick played with all these references from his old life.  
"I´m sure that he´ll mobilize all resources we have left to help you get it here!"  
"If we promise to help you of course…" Powers smiled melted into a pensive frown.

"Captain, before we decide…" Isaac snatched Keswick´s gun from his holster and eyed it. "As I thought…" He sighed and gave the gun back to Keswick who looked surprised and angered at him. "Projectile guns… and also the most primitive form of these."

"What are you implying?" Asked René from his seat in the back.  
"These people are in no way advanced enough to help us repairing the Leviathan." Isaac explained and sighed. "I think they are like 10,000 years behind us… maybe more."

"Seriously?" Asked the engineer and grunted. "Shit, they are fucking useless."  
"Not a really profitable deal." Meant the tick coldly.  
"Your objection is noted, Isaac." Nodded Powers now very sternly and cut the discussion that was about to rise short. Then he looked at Isaac and said witheringly. "Even though I haven´t asked you for your opinion."

"I am sorry captain." Isaac winced surprised by Powers sudden mood swing.  
"If they are advanced enough or not. They need our help and we can´t leave them high and dry!" Dudley meant and glared grimly at the scientist. Until this moment he thought Isaac was his friend and now he suggested not helping his people because they couldn´t return this favor.

But also the dog received a stern stare from Powers. "I also haven´t asked you for your opinion, captain Puppy."  
Dudley could stand Powers gaze without wincing but also he didn´t say anything anymore.

"Well, cards on the table. Is there any possible way that you can help us?" The Captain stood up as he asked this question. With a cold and calm glance he looked down onto Keswick who sighed and also stood up.  
"No. We can probably not h..h..help you." He said resignedly. "And nevertheless we need your h..h..help."

"What you have to understand is that I have a ship with 100 men drifting through the space almost helplessly. I need to think about their fates first." Powers turned to Isaac and looked at him. "And you have to understand that it´s not about the gear or the technology but about their willing to help." Then he pointed at René and said. "And the worth of someone doesn´t result in how useful they are for us." Powers crossed his arms behind his back and said towards the tick. "And you need to learn not to search for your advantage when someone asks for help. And finally, you Dudley." Powers looked down almost angrily at him and said. "You need to learn to keep your big mouth shut, especially when you are lacking objectivity."

Satisfied with himself Powers sat in his chair and then declared. "We are asked to help by people who were attacked by an enemy bigger than them. Who are we not to answer to this cry for help?"  
"Does that m..m.." Keswick couldn´t even finish his stammering because Powers nodded smiling and called out. "Yes, we will help, with all we have left."

"Thank you." Laughed Keswick and flopped down on his seat again.  
"You are pretty hyped about a little shuttle and a promise about a ship." Meternagel giggled as he stood up from his seat and stretched. "Is your situation really that bad?"  
"You´ll see." Said Keswick and sighed still with a big smile in his face.

"Well, your pilot stood up, we are there." Meant Meternagel and then pointed at the screen above them. As it seemed he had driven the ship into an old, rundown, mining tunnel that was makeshiftly supported by some wooden beams.

The ship barely fitted into the wide, cave like tunnel that started, at the place where Meternagel had stopped, to become narrower. The tunnel would earn the predicate abandoned usually if not a throng of people had gathered in front of the ship pointing with their weapons at the ship.

"What do you think, will they shoot?" asked the ship´s pilot. Before he heard a loud voice from outside the shuttle that was screaming just one monosyllable order.  
"FIRE!"


	2. The 600 years paradox

"Calm down guys, calm down!" Laughed Isaac as Powers draw breath to yell 'shields up'.  
"These are projectile weapons. They don´t even scratch our hull. So no need to rush anything."  
"I am unbelievably s..s..sorry." Meant Keswick nervously shivering and fearing that Powers would change this decision now. "They associate nothing g..g..good with ships."

But the captain calmed him with a casually gesture of his hand. "If I had a grudge against everyone who shot at me, I wouldn´t talk to half of the people in this shuttle." Explained Powers.  
"Stay calm, Keswick." Dudley smiled. "Everything is alright, we will still help."

"Thank you." Keswick meant and looked up to the display on the ceiling. The fire had stopped and it seemed that the crowd outside reloaded their weapons.  
"Okay, let´s use the break. Open the doors."  
"Yep, because the best countermeasure to weapons is a friendly greeting." Isaac meant rolling his eyes.

"Hey, we face them with love. What can they do against that?" Meternagel asked as the door slowly opened.  
"Probably shoot." Isaac mumbled.  
"Okay, Keswick, you go first… and please tell them to stop shooting. Isaac you go after him with me. You´ll translate. Understood?"

"Got it." Both of them said and Keswick set foot on the ramp and into the bright wide light that illuminated the outside.  
"S..S..Stop shooting." Keswick yelled as he walked with arms outstretched in front of him like the antennas of a bug down the ramp.

"Keswick? Keswick!" A hoarse voice called out. "Guns down, it´s Keswick."  
"Thank god…" He panted and put his arms down. "I thought for a second you´d s..s..shoot me."  
"Well, I had my hand on the trigger already." The voice said and to Keswick drove a little pedestal that was equipped with wheels and a big monitor which showed the face of an elder flea in a brown, threadbare suit.

"Of course you h..h..had." Keswick meant unamusedly.  
"Okay, so what is that, don´t tell me you made it to get an enemy ship." The flea started laughing. "Or did you call your alien friends?"

"I t..t..told you a thousand times, I´m not an alien!" pouted the former T.U.F.F. scientist.  
"Okay, but seriously, from where do you got this?"  
"Actually this is not his ship." Said Isaac and all guns went up again. "Wait, no need for that, we are friendly."

"Indeed, we are not here to run you deeper into the misery." Meant Powers and was swiftly translated by Isaac.  
"W..What are you?" mumbled the flea dumbfoundedly.  
"They are aliens, not h..h..hostile, put the guns down." Appeased Keswick. "I can assure you, please…"

"He is right." Translated Isaac for Powers. "We just crashed onto this planet… wait, actually we tried to land but in the moment of…"  
"Isaac." Powers sighed what called Isaac back to reason.  
"Yeah sorry." The scientist cleared his throat. "What I wanted to say is, we do not want to fight with you."

"Do you think we can trust them?" asked the flea skeptically while he eyed Powers and Isaac still in fear.  
"Y..Y..Yes they are!" Keswick meant beaming a big smile right at the flea. "You will not believe who´s aboard of this s..s..ship!"

Dudley heard this from inside the shuttle and sighed. That was his sign to step into the bright light and look into the eyes of the descendants of him and everyone else he knew, or at least who was left of after this attack.

He wondered though, why did Keswick announce his arrival like this. Maybe he had told them stories about him, god knew there were a lot of funny stories. He maybe had reach a certain degree of fame through that.

Dudley stepped onto the ramp and tried to get used to the bright light. He had to wink a few times and during every wink he asked himself why Meternagel had to turn the lights up that much. The people in the crowd must have had the same problem because they and Dudley gasped at the same time as they saw each other.

"Chief!" the dog meant confusedly while the chief´s only reaction was pointing his gun at Dudley.  
"No n..n..no no." Keswick quickly said and pushed the gun with gentle strength back to the ground.  
"HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE!" screamed the chief terrified. "YOU SHOULD BE DEAD! DEAD! I HEARD YOUR DEATH SCREAMS!"

"Wow… what a nice greeting." Whispered Powers.  
"Chief chief, calm d..d..down." Keswick meant who finally had taken the gun away from the flea.  
"How is that possible!" The chief asked while grabbing the cloth of his coat at his chest. "How… how…"

"There is a plausible reason for that, chief. Just c..c..calm down." Keswick smiled at the three who stood next to the ship and added. "He took it pretty g..g..good."  
"You define this as a positive reaction?" Isaac´s face reflected his statement.

Dudley´s confusion has grown beyond any value he had ever known before. He maybe could explain himself why Keswick was still alive but the chief? The chief was already old as he went away and he didn´t knew that Keswick was making research about a life extending drug, he had at least bragged once about it. There was no plausible explanation why the chief was still alive.

"Okay…" panted Dudley and who started getting headaches from all this. But there should be something that would amplify these headaches even though it let his heart dance.  
"Dudley…" A small female dog in a camouflage jacket, which she wore together with big blue framed sunglasses, stepped insecurely towards him.

"Mom…" Gasped Dudley.  
"Dudley!" cried the dog, jumped at him and hugged him.  
"Aww, mom, Dudley, what a lingual repertoire." Mumbled Isaac who had a hard time watching these two hug.

"Isaac, come on, let them have this moment." Powers meant and patted in his violent way onto Isaac´s shoulder.  
"Mom…" stammered Dudley. "How… how…"  
"My baby boy is back…" cried Dudley´s mother Peg and hugged him so tight that you´d need a hydraulic spreader to detach her from him.

"God mom…" He sighed happily. "It´s so good to see you again. But…"  
"Yes sweety?"  
"How… how is it possible that you are still alive."  
"Honey, what do you mean?" Asked Peg confusedly.

"You must be about 650 now how is it possible that you are still alive?"  
The expression on Peg´s face was more than just not amused as she heard that. "Have I never told you that you shouldn´t talk to a woman like that?"

"No, I don´t want to insult you but…" Dudley pried his mom, with a little help of pure muscle power, of him and put her back on her feet. Then he pointed at the chief. "I mean, the chief should be 660 and…" He looked into the crowd and saw a tall rat there. "Snaptrap should be around 634… I mean he was my age back then…"

"Dudley, what are you t..t..talking about?" asked Keswick scratching the back of his head.  
"I´m talking about the fact that I was gone for about 600 years and you all are still alive. I mean I am sad about that but…"

"What 600 years?" Peg asked and looked at Dudley like he just said the stupidest thing ever. "Dudley, you were just 16 years gone."  
Again Dudley´s head hurt but this time it also started turning.  
"Okay, hold on everybody, we should not discuss this here." Isaac called as he saw Dudley´s troubled and confused face. "We do not have enough space in our shuttle so could we maybe use one of your rooms?"

"No." The chief said sternly and he let it sound like 'I don´t trust you'. "Keswick, Peg and I will discuss in your shuttle."  
Isaac wanted to say something as but before he could Powers laid his hand on his shoulder and whispered something in his ear what made the scientist sigh.  
"Okay, but just if you send the rest of this mob away."

The chief nodded, apparently he was okay with that deal. He had to send away his men but at least he didn´t have to let the strangers into his base.  
"Get back to what you did before the alarm guys." He called to the resistance members.

As the crowd slowly resolved Powers cleared his throat. With a gesture he showed the little delegation to follow him into the ship where he sat down on his seat.  
"Please, take a seat." He meant and the board computer started translating again. The chief and Peg looked surprised at the ceiling.

"Yay… technology." Meant Isaac mockingly as he also sat down.  
"Could you stop being a dick?" Dudley mean irritatedly.  
"Dudley!" Peg scolded her son harshly. "Don´t say these things."  
"Mom…" sighed Dudley as he heard René giggling from the seat in the back.

"Okay everyone." Powers clapped his hands loudly together and everyone in the shuttle fell quiet and looked at him. "I think it´s time to get rid of some misunderstandings."  
"Indeed." The chief nodded. "First the 600 years thing."

"605 years ago we scanned some black holes…" Powers started telling them a short version of the last 600 years. Because of the presence of Dudley´s mother he left away the brutal and gory parts. In the end it was actually just a CV then a real story. "The last mission, that brought us here, was the disabling of an enemy superweapon by pushing it into a black hole. Unfortunately it pulled us with us and well, now we are here."

With widely opened eyes and open mouths the three guest sat there and looked at Powers before they slowly turned their head to Dudley.  
"That is… well… wow." mumbled the chief impressed.  
"Wait but Dudley… that would mean you are 640 years old!" Peg gasped.

"And still good looking." Sneered Meternagel.  
"Wasn´t cheap." Shrugged Dudley more out of a reflex. This was an old joke when it came to speaking about ages.

"But how is that p..p..possible?" Asked Keswick interestedly.  
"That is not important and I may explain it to you when I know if your mind can even grasp the several steps necessary for that." Isaac meant while rolling his eyes arrogantly.

"Ah, Isaac, then please…" Powers said with a biting tone as he looked at the scientist. "Then, please, be so kind and tell us what is important right now."  
"Of course, Sly." Said Isaac and stood up. "For us, as a group, is the tactical situation of this so called resistance is important. For Dudley on the other hand, something else."

"Oh really?" Dudley meant irritatedly. He also stood up and steeped close to Isaac. His angry stare met Isaac´s cold analytical glance. "Then please tell me, Isaac, tell me what you think is important for me."

"The answer to a question you have not asked yet. And I wonder why you did not ask it yet." Isaac replied calmly.  
"Oh, and what question?" hissed the dog.  
"'Where is my fiancée?'" Said Isaac and then sank serenely back into his seat.

Dudley froze directly on the spot. His whole mind had to reset. How could he forget asking about her? "Where is Kitty?!" Dudley asked almost screaming as he turned to Keswick, Peg and the chief.  
"As far as I know she was hijacking a lizard p..p..patrol." Meant Keswick. "I haven´t heard from her in a while, but I guess she´s on her way b..b..back."

"As far as I know she´ll take the southern tunnels." The chief meant. "You can wait for her in decontamination lock 3."  
"How do I get there?"

"Just down this tunnel to the bunker and then straight through the hallways… I think we even have signs there, just follow them." Peg meant. "But Dudley…"

But before his mom could say anything more the dog had left the shuttle.  
"Well…" Sighed Powers. "I will not write that into my log as disobedience. Anyway, we should maybe talk about our further actions."

The chief nodded. "As far as I understood, you wanted to help?"  
"Indeed. We don´t just owe that to Dudley but also the motives we have devoted us to. So, what is the situation?"

While the chief started to elucidate the situation to Powers, Dudley was already almost at his destination. He pushed himself past the people that stood in the hallways and threw surprised looks at him, probably because of the black leather uniform he wore.

But these looks didn´t matter for him, he even ignored them. The only important thing for him was seeing her, after all these years. The mere thought about holding her in his arms again was a reason to run even faster.

Decontamination lock 3 was a not a room for cleaning people from the wastelands dirt and bacteria like Dudley had imagined it. It was actually just a big cave in the tunnel that was separated from the smaller cave -in which the exit door of the bunker was- by a red freight container that was crammed into the tunnel between the caves.

It seemed that the decontamination lock was just the big cave and the container.  
Dudley looked around in the cave with exit door. It was empty, no sign of Kitty. Dudley knew that he should actually wait in this room but he simply couldn´t.

He wanted to run to the door of the container but in this moment the doors opened and a tall cat that looked as stern as worried. The cat pointed with furiously at the wall of the cave. "You stay there while I get the chief. Don´t dare to move. This is an ORDER, got it?!"

A young white dog with green eyes followed his order and ran to the wall. He flopped on the floor and rolled up to a ball crying.  
"Excuse me…" Dudley said to the cat but he wasn´t honored with an answer. The cat simply jogged on. "Son of a…" cursed the dog quietly and then sighed. He turned to the boy that cried. Maybe he knew something.

"Hey, boy." Dudley meant a walked to the sobbing ball of fur. "You come from outside, right? Have you seen Kitty Katswell?"  
"Yes…" cried the dog.

"Great." Smiled Dudley widely. "Can you tell me where she is?"  
"She…She…" The little dog started crying more.  
"She?"

"She got captured by the enemy."  
"What?!" Dudley asked and felt like someone just punched him laughing in the face. Kitty was so close but now. The dog gritted his teeth. Not now, not this time. He wouldn´t let anything get between him and her.

Angrily he grabbed the dog in front of him by the collar. "Tell me when and where this happened." He growled threateningly.  
"About… 10 kilometers away from here." Sobbed the terrified little dog.  
"Good." Dudley meant and put him on his feet. "Show me the way."

"But… I…"  
"Do I look like I´m joking around?! Show me the fucking way or I make you show it to me!" the yelled and the little dog tried not to start crying again as he did so.  
"O..Okay." He sobbed.  
"Great, let´s go." Meant Dudley and followed the dog.


	3. The fair chance

"By the way, what´s your name, boy?" Asked Dudley while they were already walking for an hour. They had already reached the spot where Kitty was captured and now were heading towards an old building where the lizard brought the ones they had captured.

The dog with the green eyes had told him that this once was a sanatorium but now it was a place that was breeding the madness it once tried to cure. And pain, the little dog shivered as he told Dudley about that.

"My… my name is Nick…" meant the dog slowly.  
"Well, sorry that I behaved like that Nick." Meant Dudley. "I´m just a bit stressed out lately… this whole situation is really… odd."

Nick said nothing, he just kept on walking and, honestly speaking, Dudley was pretty glad he didn´t have to have a conversation with him. He was too preoccupied transforming the fear that he maybe wouldn´t see Kitty again into wild anger which he would unleash against the first enemy they saw.

Luckily was the first option for a catharsis just around the corner. Not literally of course. It was actually behind a big rock.  
"Look what we have here…" said a big, scaly big green lizard that wore a breast armor made from a grey metal Dudley couldn´t identify.

But what the lizard also wore, besides the chest plate, was a pair of pants which he had obviously made himself from differently colored furs. It was disgusting, this lizard wore a genocide around his hips and wasn´t even ashamed of that. Seeing that was like fuel for Dudley´s anger but he made it to hold back. It was never a good idea to angrily attack an completely unknown enemy.

"Two little dogsssss." He giggled. "What are you two doing out here?"  
"We are searching someone." Dudley meant coldly.  
"Oh really?" Said the lizard mischievously grinning and bent down to Dudley. "And who isssss that sssssomeone?"  
"A tall tanned cat, have you seen her?" The question had almost sounded naïve if Dudley´s voice wasn´t deadly cold.  
"Yes, I have ssssseen her. But what´sssss more important, why ssssshould I tell you?"

"Because your death will be much quicker then." Whispered Dudley.  
"HA!" The lizard laughed excessively loud. "You´re a funny little bassssstard. It´ll be so much fun killing you."

"So you want it like that?" Dudley and placed one of his feet a little more behind him to have a more stable stand.  
"I do!" Laughed the lizard and his fist sprang towards Dudley. The dog dodged without any effort. With both hands he grabbed the lizards arm and used the momentum and the lizard´s unstable stand to throw him over his head without effort.

"Issss that all?" mocked Dudley and got in his fighting stance again.  
"You little…" The lizards got back on his feet and wanted to jump at Dudley, he wanted to bury with him with his body but Dudley just stepped to the side. The lizards belly-flopped the ground.

"Pathetic." Meant Dudley shaking his head as the lizard stood up aching.  
"You ssssson of a…" he wanted to say but this time Dudley took his chance. He rushed close to the lizard and hit, while jumping upwards, the lizards chin with his elbow. Dazed his enemy stumbled a few steps back. Dudley realized two things after the hit.

First thing was that his enemy was unbelievably slowly. It was like he fought against a child. Maybe the close combat training he was doing for ages now was a reason for that. But even if they´re moves were slow and clumsy there was something that gave them an advantage.

Their skin, and probably the rest of their body, was rock hard. That was the second thing he realized. Summarized it was like fighting a child in an armor. He wouldn´t make too much damage with his fists. He needed a new tactic. While the enemy still was occupied with the aftermaths of his hit he got his glove out and put it on.

"Last chance." Dudley said as he turned his palm towards the lizard. "Tell me where she is!"  
"Fuck yo…" A blue pulse hit the lizard and sent him screaming to the ground before he could finish his swears.

Dudley walked to the jittering green creature on the ground and put his boot on his throat. "Tell me where she is." He meant now calm and coldly.  
"I will never…AHHH!" Still in midsentence Dudley had laid his hand on the lizards and activated it.  
"Tell me!"

"Ssssstop it… ssssstop it!" screamed the lizard in immense pains.  
"Where is she?!" Dudley yelled back and didn´t even think about lifting his hand up.  
"Ssssshe isssss with a patrol, they bring her to the HQ." He cried.

"Was that so hard?" Dudley asked and still didn´t move his head. Instead his glove started glowing intensely while the lizard screamed even louder. And all of the sudden, both stopped.  
"You should have told me right away." Dudley growled and let the lizards face go which was nothing more than a black crust by now.

"Wh…How…" he heard Nick stammer behind him. The boy seemed not to understand what just happened. He just stood there with his mouth agape and looked at Dudley.  
"No time for that, you heard it." Dudley meant. "Where is this HQ?"

Nick just pointed into the distance where three gigantic towers, which tops bend and meet in the center of the triangular they formed, lined the horizon.  
"Okay, let´s go… stay close and behind me." Dudley meant sternly and then started running. Not to fast of course, he wanted that the boy keep up with him.

But the younger dog kept his pace perfectly. Dudley was pleasantly surprised as he realized that he could ran faster and the boy would still be right behind him. A normal human already had to stop and catch air and even the trained once maybe had problems with this speed.

"Hey, stop!" Nick called after a while and grabbed Dudley´s arm what made him stop.  
"What?" he replied stressedly.  
"Look over there!" From the little hill they stood on Nick pointed down into the valley where a group of six lizards escorted something that looked like a big coffin.

"Good work, boy." Dudley meant and crouched down. Nick did the same and looked worriedly at the coffin.  
"Is that a…"

"A casket?" Dudley tooked the words out of his mouth and calmed him by shaking his head. "If she was dead they wouldn´t transport her in a casket. I mean haven´t you seen this other lizards pants? No, that´s something else. Also, the other one indicated that she´s still alive."  
"Okay…" Nick nodded nervously. "Do you have a plan?"

"Sure." The dog stood up and changed something on his glove so it glowed red now. But not also his hand, soon his whole body glowed in a weak red. "Just stay here and wait until it´s done."  
With these words, and without waiting for an answer from Nick, Dudley went towards the convoy.  
The lizards noticed him as he was halfway down the hill and laughed about the alone and seemingly unarmed dog.

"Do they really asssssk themselves why we don´t take thisssss rebellion ssssseriously?" Laughed one of them, a bigger lizard with black scales. "One dog to free the cat whore? That´sssss ridiculousssss!"  
This lizard was obviously the leader of the group because all other lizards joined his laughter.

"I give you a fair chance." Dudley meant as he built himself up an arm´s length from the leader away. "Give me the container and all of you are allowed to see the next morning."  
This time the leading lizard didn´t have to start laughing to let the others know that this was funny.

"Yeah sssssure, little doggie." Roared the leader. First because of laughter but soon the reason was just pain. Dudley had laid his hand on the lizard´s chest and from there the scales started to turn brown. Dudley didn´t took his hand of the leader´s until every inch of his body had changed its color from black to brown.

The screams had stopped meanwhile, like the laughter of the other lizards. The dog clenched his fist and hit the now brown lizard. Like a gypsum statue the lizard broke into thousand pieces.  
"I warned you." Dudley growled and turned to the other convoy member who had already taken aim at him. He simply smiled and started walking slowly towards them.

Even after they opened fire he didn´t start to run. He strode towards them and his smile grew as he saw the fear in their eyes as they realized that their weapons didn´t hurt him. In the moment Dudley was not a meter away of them he jumped at the first and hit his face with his glowing glove.

The lizard was literally punched into the ground. Dudley dodged a slightly elaborated punch from the lizard next to him and performed a fast uppercut that tossed the lizard 20 meters into the air. With a combination of three punches he broke all bones in the torso of the next one.

Dudley was about to grab the next one but this lizard could escape him and he and the other one that was left sought their refuge in flight. But Dudley was relentless, there was nothing in him that would grant these lizards their flight.

Coldly he pointed his palm at the first then at the second and shot both down with a red beam. Both of them fall lifelessly to the ground. Their death gave Dudley a weird feeling of accomplishment which he had tried to suppress under other circumstances. Dudley hated it to kill, but this time it was different.

The glowing around him wore off and he repeated "I warned you." and shrugged.  
"Wow! That was unbelievable!" Nick called as he ran down the hill.  
"Piece of cake." Said Dudley and turned to the coffin and took a deep breath. "Now, let´s see."

Dudley took his first heavy steps towards the coffin. He hoped that what he would find in there was Kitty. And he hoped that she was alive.  
"Please… be no weirdo…" whispered Nick who walked behind him. The boy´s steps seemed to be as heavy as his.

Dudley wondered why Nick was so concerned. Of course Kitty was part of his community but he could hear the boy sob in fear as they were close to the coffin and that was kind of a very emotional reaction.

Dudley reached the bulky black coffin that looked it was made from black flawless marble. He first just laid his hands on it to touch the surface.  
The material felt cold and more like a metal. "Okay…" He said and tried to fight the tremble in his noise. "How do we open this?"

"You…You don´t know?" Nick said negatively surprised.  
"Not really…" Dudley shrugged helplessly. "Have you never opened such a thingy?"  
"No… Keswick knows it and once told it to me but…" The boy sighed.

"It´s hard to memorize all what he says, huh?" Dudley smiled softly. He knew how bad Keswick was when it came to explaining things.  
"He speaks so fast." Growled Nick annoyed with himself. His eyes teared up as he hit his fists on the coffin. "I should have listened!"

"Calm down, there are definitely some fragments in your head. Just repeat what you still know."  
"Just…" Nick wiped the tears out of his face. "Just something about temperature and crystal structures."

"Hmm… okay, now try to remember, when he told you that, or when he opened the coffins, what did he hold in his hand?" Dudley laid his hand fatherlike on the boys shoulder.  
"I…I think a welding torch…" Nick meant pensively.

Dudley smiled widely as he heard that and tousled through the young dog´s hair. "Good work!"  
Obviously, readable in his expression, Nick hated getting his hair messed up, but then again, he was too anxious what Dudley would do next to interrupt him by complaining about that.

Dudley meanwhile had laid his hand on the coffin after adjusting something on the glove. It took a bit but after a while the black surface of the coffin started turning grey and began to emit heat.  
"What are you doing?" Nick asked who also felt the heat.

Dudley stayed silent until a loud mystical sound came from the coffin that reminded of a gigantic gong that was hit in the distance. With this sound the coffin´s lid suddenly opened a little.  
"That´s how these things should sound." Giggled Dudley remembering the first time he had encountered a stasis pod.

With a tight grip he threw the lid away and looked into the pod finding his fiancée lying in there.  
"Kitty!" Dudley meant and felt her pulse. His fingers felt the twitch of her veins. "She´s alive!" He exclaimed loudly. "Jackpot!" He started laughing in relief and hugged her. "I can´t believe it, you are alive!"

"Wh…What?" A voice replied weakly. Dudley broke the hug and looked into these green emeralds which he had to miss for so long. She was awake and like Dudley though it, she couldn´t believe what she saw.

"Hello, Kitty." Smiled Dudley and laughed a little. "It´s been a while."  
Kitty first just stared at him silently. Then she closed her eyes and opened them again like she tried to wake up from a dream. "But you… but I… am I dead?" Kitty sat up still with her eyes fixating him disbelievingly.

"That´s a long story." Meant Dudley smiling and sat down next to her. "I can tell it to you but not here."  
"This must be a trick… or I´m in heaven." Kitty said and touched Dudley´s cheek and then winced back like she just touched a hot surface. "No… you´re real… but Dudley…"

"As I said, not here." He meant smiling widely. He stood up and helped her up. "Do you feel well enough to walk?"  
"Actually I…" Kitty suddenly held one hand over her mouth and ran behind the stasis pod where she uttered the worst retching sounds Dudley had heard since the morning after the victory party on his ship 300 years ago.

"Oh… well, take your time honey…" Smiled Dudley knowing that she just suffered one of many possible stasis aftermaths.  
"Uhm… hey." Nick said who had just stood there for a while watching the scene. "Why do you call my mom honey?"

"Your mom?!" Dudley suddenly said and his stomach felt like Kitty must have felt in this moment.  
"Yes, who are you anyway?" The young dog crossed his arms skeptically.  
"I…I…I…" Stammered Dudley and eyed Nick closely for the first time. How could he not see that? He almost looked exactly like him just with green eyes.

"Dudley…" gagged Kitty a last time and then spoke heavy panting. "I think I also have to tell you something. And also…" She schlepped herself back to the bottom part of the pod and sat next to Dudley. "Also to you Nick."

"Aha…" Nick´s tone of voice became more hostile like he knew that his mom would come up with something big.  
"Nick… this man is Dudley Puppy and…"  
"NO!" Nick yelled and pointed at Dudley. "HE IS NOT…"

"He is." Kitty meant strictly.  
"I am…I am what?" Dudley asked shivering. He knew what would come but he needed to hear it from them.

"This asshole is not my father!" Nick meant angrily and as he said that a weird wave of happiness and fear rushed his mind.  
"Don´t you dare calling him like that again!" Kitty snapped with a hoarse voice.  
"How is that even possible?! He should be dead, or was that a lie?!"

"I…" Kitty looked puzzled at Dudley. "I have no clue, ask him…"  
"Okay, dad, why are you still alive?" Dudley tried to remember when he last heard so much poison in the word dad.

"I… that´s a long story…" the dog mumbled while trying to sort his thoughts.  
"I have time, tell me." Nick hissed and his tone reminded Dudley of Kitty when she was mad.  
"Oh hell no, none of you has time." A voice behind Nick meant loudly.

Kitty and Nick turned to the source and their eyes grew widely. But while the two of them just looked terrified towards the tall figure that looked angrily at them Dudley just looked to it for a second and then back and Nick while saying "Hello Isaac."

"Oh do not just sit there and say 'Hello Isaac'." Isaac was so angry that he switched back to his mother tongue. "What were you thinking coming here?!"  
"I said I was searching for Kitty." Dudley responded in Isaac´s language and looked at his fiancée that still looked horrified at Isaac.

The scientist sighed seeing her partly in relief that he found him partly in understatement of his situation. "At least Powers still do not know about this." He had switched back to Dudley´s native tongue with his 'I am an alien' accent.

"Oh my god, it can speak!" gasped Kitty.  
"I could say the same about you." Isaac replied drily and then looked at Nick who had took a fighting stance. But the scientist just rolled his eyes. "Really?" he asked bored. He walked to the boy who trembled the closer he came.

"You are cute little…" Isaac had to look closer and then grinned. "Catdog… though you look more like a dog." He patted Nick´s head and walked pasted him. "Congrats Dudley, it is a boy."  
"How do you know… wait I´m sorry that I asked." Dudley sighed.

"There would be no time to tell you anyway." Isaac said. "I hope you all can walk because we all should be home before Powers and the flea, this Dumbrovski, are done discussing tactics."  
"Then let´s go…" Dudley meant and helped Kitty up.  
"You are back…" mumbled Kitty still in disbelieve. "You are really back…"


	4. The new guy

"In here." Commanded Isaac and Dudley could hear the wrath in his voice. He pointed with his index finger at a small tunnel that was makeshiftly supported by old looking and obviously wet wooden beams that led into the mountain.

Inside the tunnel a chain of lights casted their weak shine on the rocks and were apparently not to there to illuminate the tunnel but just giving the tunnel walker a hint about the direction in which he should walk. All in all the construction of rotten beams and the slight gleam looked not really trustworthy.

Dudley looked to Kitty who he was carrying now because she had realized during walking that she couldn´t go on. He didn´t care though, he just enjoyed the feeling of having her close. Kitty nodded to him and Dudley looked to Isaac again and followed him into the tunnel.

"Dammit, Dudley, it is always the same with you." Mumbled Isaac angrily.  
"Isaac, shut it, okay?" Sighed Dudley and rolled his eyes.  
"Hey, I will not tell Powers about that, so you have to stand my nagging!" The scientist grumbled.  
"What does he mean with Powers?" Asked Kitty whispering.

Dudley moved close to her ear and replied. "It´s a person. You will get to know him." Her smell entered his nose before he could move away. An intoxicating felling accelerated Dudley´s heartbeat to an unhealthy rate and now it was him who had to look at her in disbelieve.

He was back, back with her. Finally. A big wide grin formed on the dogs face and his whole body just wanted to dance in joy right now. But then again he felt the hateful glare of the dog that walked behind him, and that let his whole body feel numb.

"So…" Dudley started and his voice had a slight tone of cluelessness in it. "Kitty… how was everything while I was away."  
"Well…" Sighed Kitty. "I was busy, I mean 9 months after you died… I mean left… I mean…" she sighed again but more desperately sounding. "Anyway, 9 months later I gave birth to my little sunshine."

Nick huffed behind Dudley what gave him the hint that he hated being called like that.  
"Well, and then I of course had to raise him and work…"  
"The typical boring single mom story." Isaac intervened bored.  
"Isaac, god dammit!" Growled Dudley and then turned his head back to Kitty. "Please excuse him, he´s an asshole."

"No need." Sighed Kitty. "It was pretty normal… besides this invasion now."  
"Well… I´m sorry it… I´m just sorry that I wasn´t there."  
"You hadn´t intended to be gone..." Kitty smiled and stroked softly through his hair.  
"OH HELL NO!" Nick grabbed his mom´s hand and pulled it away from Dudley´s head. "Are you drunk mom?!"

"What do you mean?"  
"First he died during a flight with a space craft. That´s fucking dangerous, of course it´s his fault!" Nick hissed and then laid a smile on his lips that you could just describe with the word disgusting. "Also did you forget about Rob"  
"Who´s Rob?" Asked Dudley and looked at Kitty who Scratch the back of her head.

"Uhm… I think there´s something I have to tell you…"  
"She has a new guy." Nick grinned widely. Dudley had almost let Kitty fall down as he heard that.  
"Pardon?" Dudley needed to hear that again to really believe it.  
"He´s right…" Sighed Kitty and looked away as Dudley stared in shock at her.

That felt like another punch in his face. He lost her, then he found her again and now… Dudley knew that the rule said 'Till death do us part' and of course Kitty thought he was dead and he for a while that she doesn´t exist but even if he knew that all it still was hard to grasp.

"And he´s a greater man than you!" Grinned Nick and enjoyed Dudley´s confusion but right as he said that Isaac in front of them stopped and turned around.  
"You little disgusting cluster of cells." The scientist built himself up in front of Nick and looked angrily at him. "If I hear you insulting this man ever again I will skin you, grill you and eat you."

"Isaac!" Meant Dudley angrily and shocked at the same time.  
"Do you got me?! I know enough recipes for dog and also for cat! You are both so I have plenty of choices." He whispered to Nick who went pale. "I will tell the others about that…"

"Isaac, stop now." Growled the dog.  
"I just scare him a bit." Isaac said in his mother´s tongue so that Kitty and Nick couldn´t understand it.  
"I know, but I nevertheless don´t want you to hear you threatening him, got it?" Dudley replied in the same language.

"Understood." Isaac nodded and turned back to Nick. "I keep an eye on you." The scientist said so Nick could understand and then turned around.  
Dudley looked at Isaac and though he was angry on him he felt somehow relieved. At least Nick wouldn´t rub salt into his wound.

Maybe he should thank the scientist for defending him later and then slap him for being rude to everyone… he would probably just slap him.  
"So… Rob…" Dudley mumbled while they stepped in one of the caves that was called decontamination lock by the resistance members.

Kitty stayed silent, she just looked away. It seemed that she couldn´t look him in the eyes.  
"This is a joke." Isaac called out loud as they crossed the container. "Decontamination lock, what a joke."  
"That´s all they have, Isaac."

"Yeah yeah, I know." Sighed the scientist and entered the basis. As they walked through the hallways all eyes were on the tall scientist that returned their stares with angry glares. "Rude, very rude, all of you." He said loudly and understandable for them and after a while of walking through them he started enjoying it.

Dudley approved the fact that he wasn´t watched now. To be honest he´d liked to be alone in that moment anyway, to let his mind digest the whole day. And though Dudley usually wasn´t a friend of that, he thought that maybe some alcohol could help. He should ask Powers about that, he know that the captain had some fine spirits in his collection. If he gets wasted then in style.

As the group stepped into the tunnel that led to the shuttle a tall wolf with grey fur ran to them and called "Kitty!"  
"Rob…" Kitty seemed not really happy to see him in this moment. Dudley deduced that from her face that was contorted like she was in pain.

"Kitty!" The wolf ran to Dudley, pried her away from the dog´s arms and hugged her tightly. "God, Kitty… I thought I lost you."  
So that was Rob. Dudley had liked to start screaming in this moment. Rob was somehow a taller and better looking version of him. Okay he had a big scar in his face but this thing just made him look more of a tough guy.

"Thank you…" Rob said to Dudley. "Thank you so much for bringing her back… she´s all I have…"  
The suppressed grin of Nick was almost sensible in the room as he saw his genetic father´s eye twitching.

"Rob… I have to tell you something." Kitty whispered.  
"Everything honey…" Said the wolf.  
"Okay… I have to go." Dudley stammered and walked past Rob into the tunnel. By now the idea of having a drink was obsolete. He now just wanted to search a calm corner and puke.

He staggered through the tunnel towards the ship and directly into the arms of René who stood in front of the ship and examined at the hull.  
"Whoa, dude, are you alright?" The engineer asked and caught him.  
Dudley just shook his head.

"You look like a fucking zombie." René said. "We better get you inside the shuttle."  
Dudley was lifted over the broad man´s shoulder and carried into the ship in which just Powers, his mom and the chief sat and discussed.  
"What´s wrong?" Powers asked sternly and stood up.

"Nothing… I just feel a bit… sick…" meant Dudley as René sat him on one of the empty seats.  
"I´ll deal with this from now on, go back to work." The engineer nodded and left the shuttle.  
Powers walked to a little inlet in the wall. "Water." He said and a glass of water materialized.

The chief´s and Peg´s mouths fell agape seeing appearing a glass and water out of thin air.  
"Thanks." Panted Dudley as Powers handed him the glass and drank it eagerly. "Where are the others?"

"Meternagel wanted to walk around a bit to get an overview. Isaac is also somewhere, I don´t know. And the tick is probably causing turmoil somewhere, so what she can do best. And René is writing a status report for the shuttle." Powers explained and sat down on his seat again. "But what´s wrong with you?"

"Okay…" nodded Dudley. "I´m okay…"  
"Sweety…" Peg meant concernedly.  
"I´m fine… I guess I just was a bit dehydrated." He lied. "Everything´s fine."  
"I know that you´re lying…" Powers meant eying him critically. "But I can´t and won´t deal with this now." The captain turned his angular face back to the chief. "How safe are we here?"

"Well, as safe as rebels can be." The chief laughed bitterly. "Luckily Keswick built some kind of device that doesn´t allow the lizards to find us here. But also that doesn´t come without a price."  
"What do you mean?"

"The field needs energy and after we ran out of fuel for the generators we had to redispose."  
"How do you power your base now?"  
"We use the energy cores of the lizards weapons. I don´t have to say that it´s a dangerous undertaking to get these, do I?"

"That explains the casualties you told me about." Nodded Powers.  
"How long does one of these cores last?" Asked Dudley and sat up straight in his seat. He still felt like someone had used his stomach as a punching ball but the acquiring of tactical information at least gave him a feeling of routine again. After all he collected and evaluated tactical information since he was promoted to a captain in the fleet.

"About 3 days. Luckily we mostly find four or five of them." The chief meant and sighed. "It can´t go on like that."  
"Well, I think I know everything I have to know." Powers nodded and pushed a button in the armrest of his seat. "René, could you come inside?"

"Sure, captain." Echoed the engineer´s dark voice back and a few seconds later he stomped up the ramp. "Yes?" asked René and stepped into the shuttle.

"René, take Isaac and go to the base´s generator room. Say Isaac that he should explain to everyone to everyone who wants to interrupt you that you have to upgrade their generator. I guess we have the blessing of the chief." Powers looked down at the flea who nodded. "And after that send Isaac to this Keswick, he should see if he can improve this jamming device."

René nodded quickly and moved wordlessly out of the shuttle.  
"Okay." Powers stood up and adjusted his uniform. "Next thing is that we should introduce ourselves, at least to the higher members of your resistance. We need to work together so we should get to know each other. Do you have some kind of conference room for us?"

"Hmm… We actually..."  
"Keswick´s lab is mostly empty and pretty wide." Dudley´s mom meant as she and the chief also stood up.

"Yeah, good idea, Peg." Nodded the flea. "Let´s meet in the lab."  
"Great, lead the way. Oh, and Dudley…" Powers grabbed Dudley´s hand and pulled the dog on his feet. "No matter how bad you feel, we need you."

"No!" Peg said, walked to Dudley and wanted to push him back on the seat. "Sweety if you feel bad you can stay here and sleep."  
"Oh hell no… sweety." Powers said slightly grinning. "That´s an order."

"It´s okay, mom, really." Mumbled Dudley and took his mother´s hands. He smiled softly at her and pulled her into a hug. "I´m okay, really."  
"Right, he´s old enough Peg…" The chief said but more out of a reflex what made Powers laugh excessively loud.

"Indeed!" roared the captain.  
Dudley looked annoyed at Powers and just shook his head. "Let´s go, okay?"


	5. The briefing

"You really know what you are doing sweety?" Asked Peg as she looked half confused half amazed at her son who was installing a little device, which looked like a fist sized black diamond, into the speaker in Keswick´s lab.

Dudley just gave her a tired smiled and said. "Mom, this isn´t very complicated."  
"I don´t know, sweety, this looks like the stuff Keswick usually does."  
"Well…" mumbled Keswick who stood on the other side and looked astonished at Dudley´s eagerly working hands. "I have no c..c..clue what he´s doing. That thing goes a..a..above my head..."

"It really isn´t." Sighed Dudley and put the last wires onto the device. He turned around and gave a little nod to Powers who held a microphone in his hand and eyed it confusedly.  
"Uhm…" He said and tapped the mouthpiece what was amplified by the speakers. "Aha!" Said the captain and meant without speaking into the microphone. "Okay… I got it. Let me guess, an amplifier and membrane that converts my words into an electrical signal?"

Dudley nodded again. "Yes, but you still have to speak into it."  
"Oh, of course." Powers put the microphone in front of his mouth. "Okay everyone, may I have your attention?" His words echoed clear and in Dudley´s mother´s tongue through the room. The group of people that was already just eying the little group of humans around Powers became quiet and stopped whispering.

"Thank you." Powers smiled friendly at the group. "First of all, to all who might not know it, my name is Sly Powers and I am the captain of the Leviathan, that´s a ship of the Alliance fleet. The people here next to me…" He pointed at the Tick, Meternagel and the meanwhile returned Isaac. "Are parts of my crew. For example Meternagel here…"

He walked next to the pilot. "Is my pilot and Isaac…" the captain pointed at the scientist. "Is my scientific advisor. And last but not least the woman here is actually not my crew member… let´s say she´s an espionage consultant." Powers nodded and the walked to René and Dudley and placed himself between them. "Okay, the left one here is an engineer and his name is René so if anything´s broken, ask him."

"Hey wait, I´m not a fucking mechanic!" protested René angrily.  
"Oh, of course." Powers smiled. "He wants you to keep in mind that he´s not a simple mechanic. Anyway, the last one, here to my right, is captain Dudley Puppy… I think he wants also to say a few words."

Powers handed Dudley the microphone and the dog couldn´t remember when it was the last time he was that much out of words. He held the micro in front of his mouth and looked at the crowd of people in front of him.

They looked so expectantly at him. Keswick grinned widely and looked like he waited for him to say something funny that would light up the situation. The chief looked proud at him, like his mom next to the flea. They would be proud no matter what he said.

Kitty was in the crowd too. She looked with a soft smile at him. Dudley wondered how she felt about the whole situation. Especially about this thing with him and the other guy. And the most important question he had was, how were her feelings towards him? Was she still in love or did she carried a hidden anger in her because he left them?

Or was she free of all these feelings and just in love with this Rob. Speaking about him, he stood next to Kitty and glared at him in a way like he would wish him to die in every possible way. Just Nick was nowhere to see, it seemed that he didn´t want to listen to anything the newcomers, especially him, had to say.

"I could maybe start doing the same Powers did but…" meant Dudley after taking a deep breath. "But I´m lacking the words for a big speech right now… damn I still need time to digest that all. I mean I thought for a while that you all were dead and then I thought that you were just a product of my imagination…" Dudley laughed a bit and shook his head. "No, I want to give a speech so why don´t we do it the other way around, you can ask questions and I answer."

Dudley looked around in the crowd and waited for a hand that would raise. "Come on, please, you must have question."  
"I have one, 'captain' Puppy. How that you are still alive?" The question came from no one else than the tall wolf next to Kitty. Dudley almost had to restrain himself from answering in the same aggressive tone Rob asked his question.

"Well, that is actually a god question." He meant and crossed his arms. "To be honest, I currently was dead. But I´d have to make a little excursus to explain. First question, who knows the black hole information paradox?" Only Keswick and Kitty who knew it from Keswick who tried to raise her hope and lower her pains after Dudley´s death. And the chief nodded to, Keswick also told it to him but then said that it was just a theory.

"Okay." Nodded Dudley. "For the others, try to imagine the black hole like a hard drive. I died, was saved on it and this nice asshole over here…" He pointed grinning at Isaac. "Recovered me."  
"Well…" Isaac stepped next to Dudley and said speaking to him and the crowd. "I take that as a compliment."

"I think that answers why I´m alive again." Meant Dudley and grinned at Rob. It was a triumphing grin which he tried to cover with faked friendliness. "Any other questions?"  
"I have one." This time Kitty made her friendly and clear voice audible. "How was it working with those… uhm..."

"I swear if she says 'things' I will scream." Whispered Isaac to himself.  
"…people" Kitty finished her sentence after a short moment of thinking.  
"It was hard but… funny." He smiled and hopped that Kitty wouldn´t interpret it the wrong way.

He was afraid that she would be angry that while he was gone and had 'fun' she had to stay back and suffer. But Dudley couldn´t read any signs in the cat´s face as he spoke out the words.  
"Especially the learning was terrible…" sighed the dog grinning what made Kitty giggle a little. This giggle made amends for all the time he suffered under Isaac´s exercise books.

"It was not fun for me either." Isaac huffed. "I had to drug you to squeeze knowledge into this little pea sized sphere you call brain."  
"Very nice of you, like always." Grumbled Dudley under the loud laughter of Keswick.

"Take it as a compliment." Isaac tilted his head and smiled excessively friendly.  
"Any other… questions." Dudley rolled his eyes while he averted his gaze from Isaac and towards the audience.

"Yes, sweety…" Peg raised her hand and jumped a little so he would see her.  
"Yeah… mom…" Dudley had to sigh because in the background he heard the whole crew giggle quietly.

"Sweety, did they took good care of you?" she asked worriedly.  
"Yes…" Dudley meant while he still wondered why she asked that. After all he was here and he looked, without being to narcissistic, pretty good. "They took really good care of me. I was not lacking anything. Food, medical attention, body parts…"

"Body parts?!" Peg asked shocked. Dudley facepalmed himself angrily. He forgot, here it was something unusually to lose parts of your body. Of course, if your life span is just 80 years it´s not too hard to keep your extremities, but if can live 10,000 years it´s nothing special that to lose one or two limbs.

"Yes, but don´t worry." Dudley said to calm her. Peg looked like she was about to collapse. "I am fine and every part is working properly."  
In the background Meternagel started snickering. Annoyed Dudley turned around and hissed. "I didn´t mean it like that!"

"Sure…" Meternagel meant who couldn´t stop chuckling.  
Dudley sighed and turned back to the crowd. "Okay if that´s all I…"  
"What body parts did you lose?" it was Rob who asked that question and Dudley couldn´t evaluate if his question was asked maliciously or because of honest interest.

"Oh… that´s a good question." Dudley scratched the back of his head and looked to the ceiling.  
"Let me help you." Grinned Isaac and fished a little sphere out of his pocket. He dropped the sphere onto the ground in front of Dudley and immediately it emitted a hologram of the dog. The crowd gasped and stepped from the clone made from photons and force fields.

"Black magic." Roared Isaac provokingly towards the crowd.  
"Oh my god, how old are you?" Dudley asked sighing loudly.  
"3825 years… you should know that." Isaac meant smiling and then walked in front of the Dudley hologram.

"Dudley lost…" He meant and cleared his throat. "A heart." Isaac reached into the chest of the hologram and got a heart out which then disappeared in his hand. "A spine…" Isaac was about to reach into the hologram again but Powers was there and hold him back.

With a stern look he pointed at Peg who went pale. "You stop, got it?" Powers said.  
Isaac just nodded. He didn´t even say 'But' he just accepted the captain´s order.  
Powers showed Isaac with a gesture to go back to the other crew members.

With a remorseful expression he built himself up next to Dudley. "I have to apologize for Isaac. I think it is pretty much for him... after all this is our first contact." Powers bend down and picked the little spherical device up. "Please excuse, his behavior."

"I think we can excuse him." The chief meant sternly nodding.  
"Thank you." Nodded Powers smiling and quickly changed the subject by clapping his hands together, making a loud sound. "Okay everyone, we got some work to do. A lot of work. But I think your chief will explain to you what I mean." Powers stepped to the side and made space between him and Dudley.

The chief hopped from his pedestal over a few heads onto Kitty´s head. Kitty walked straight to the empty space between Dudley and Powers, who looked a bit confused at the cat.  
"I told you I have a right hand, didn´t I?" the chief commented on Powers gaze.

"You did, I´m just a bit surprised. But okay, Dudley can brief her later."  
Dudley didn´t look at Rob at this moment but he could feel how he hated Powers suggestion.  
"Okay everyone." Thought the chief was just a small flea his loud and vigorous voice filled the whole room. "As captain Powers said, we have to roll up our sleeves if we want to get this rebellion big."

He emphasized his words by rolling up his own sleeves. "After a examining our situation completely and from every point of view we now have a figured out a plan that can work. The central element of this is getting the orbital sovereignty. And to achieve that, we first had to help our new friends to help us."

The chief hopped from Kitty´s head onto Power´s shoulder. The captain seemed a little confused first and for a second one of his hands twitched, trying to perform the old reflex to kill a bug that lands on your skin. But he knew that it would be a bad idea to kill the leader of an allied fraction… even by accident.

So he stood still and played a pedestal. Dudley meanwhile moved closer to Kitty´s ear and whispered. "I think we can go."  
"Shouldn´t we…"  
"No, I have to brief you." He interrupted her quickly. "I think it´s important to do that as soon as possible."

Kitty wanted to object something but then she looked at the chief, he was in the middle of a speech right now and it could be take him a while to finish it. It really was the best to skip the rest of it, mostly because it would be consisting of motivating phrases she already knew. So she nodded and walked with Dudley out of the lab.

Dudley snickered triumphantly imagining Rob´s angry glare as they walked away.  
"Why are you giggling?" Asked Kitty smiling.  
"Just something funny came into my mind." He meant and beamed happily towards her. "Anyway, let´s go to the shuttle and brief you."

"The shuttle?" Asked Kitty surprised.  
"Oh, you´ll see." Dudley said and together they walked through the base towards the mining tunnel that led towards the bigger mining tunnel that leads to the outside.

With delight he heard Kitty´s gasp as they entered the part of the tunnel in which the shuttle was parked.  
"Oh my…"

"Yep." Dudley nodded and swaggered nonchalantly to the shuttle. "Mine." He leaned against it and winked like a young guy that who wants to impress the ladies with his new cool car. The shuttle exactly had the effect on her that most young guys wished their cars had.

Of course not the real effect young guys wanted, no, she didn´t get naked in front of him. But she stood there in awestruck and gazed at the shuttle.  
"This is so awesome!" She said and ran to him with her eyes fixed to the little ship.

"Yep." Said Dudley again and tried to stay as cool as he could next to her.  
Kitty started walking in a circle around the shuttle eying every little detail on the flawless white surface.

"Can we go inside?" She asked as she had arrived back next to him again.  
"Sure." He laughed and then said in human language. "Open!"  
The ship obeyed. A ramp moved down from the shuttle and a hatch in the hull opened. This time, without the bright light.

Kitty looked alternatively from Dudley to the opening in the hull. She wanted to go inside but she obviously didn´t want to go alone. Dudley laughed even more and then walked up the ramp. Kitty followed him so close that he could feel her breath on his neck. Dudley entered the shuttle with her and again she was standing and looked at everything in awe.

"You look like me when I saw these things for the first time." He chuckled and then pointed at a seat that was facing another seat. "Take a seat, honey… want something to drink or to eat?" While asking he took place in front of the little opening in the wall.

"This is just so overwhelming… I mean this looks so advanced. Like from a sci-fi movie" She sat down into her seat and her eyes grew wide. "This isn´t sci-fi, this is fantasy. These chairs are so comfortable… that has nothing to do with science anymore, that´s witchcraft."

"Well, if you think that´s witchcraft…" Dudley smirked and looked to her. "Look at this." He cleared his throat and then said in human language. "Computer, a glass of water." In the little opening in front of Dudley a glass of water manifested. Kitty´s mouth fall agape. That must have been really something like magic for her.

"How is that…"  
"Molecular readjusting." Dudley answered before she could ask the full question. "I could explain it to you later, if you want."

"I´d really like to know…" She mumbled and tried to get the surprised expression of her face.  
"Okay." He giggled. "So, want to drink something, too?"  
"Just water." She replied and Dudley said the word for water again. He sat, carrying both glasses, into the seat and then handed her one.

"Okay, Kitty, let´s get to work." He meant and started fishing for something in his pockets. Kitty eyed him interestedly as he pulled out the small, fist sized device. He looked around confusedly for a second then he grinned and said "Table". A table extended from the white, seamless inner hull of the ship.

He place the device on the table and in the next second it started projecting the 3D-Modell of a sun. "Oh my god!" exclaimed Kitty who covered her mouth with her hands. She looked even more excited than a child that unwraps his presents at Christmas morning.

"Sweet, isn´t it?" He asked and stick his hand into the sun. "I really love this holo-technology. Anyway, let´s start before I start playing with the holograms again." Dudley moved his hand out of the sun and just swiped to the right side. The projector showed nothing than just empty space.

"As far as I understood that this plan Powers and the chief talked about is more a basic concept. The core idea is that we reload the Leviathan´s energy cells so they can come and help us…"  
"Uhm… I have a question." Kitty interjected quickly before he could go into detail. "The Leviathan, what is that?"

"Oh…" Dudley started grinning. He waited for the question. Nonchalantly he swiped through the air over the projector. The long cuboid ship with all of its red shimmering turrets, blue gleaming deflectors and the big thruster, that shined so bright that it looked like the ship was dragging its own white sun after it, didn´t have the same effect on Kitty as seeing the shuttle in real life.

But she was nevertheless so amazed that she stood up from her seat to get closer to the hologram.  
"That is the Leviathan." Dudley said and looked smiling into Kitty´s amazed face.  
"This is… I´m running out of words…" She meant and flopped back into the seat.

"Well, this gives me the chance to continue my briefing." He laughed and continued by swiping over the hologram again. This time a more damaged Leviathan appeared. The red gleam was completely gone and the four deflectors, the upper, the lower, the starboard and the port, just shined in a weak blue.

The sun like light emission of the main thrusters in the back of the ship was gone completely. "This is the current state of the old lady. As you see… the ship is damaged and almost defenseless. And even if the repair crew was able to glue everything back together it´s still not sure if we can get air sovereignty through it…"

"So you think that won´t work?" Kitty suddenly sounded worriedly and also gave Dudley a look like he never saw it. At least he couldn´t remember when her eyes looked so afraid. He felt bad for speaking out his doubts. Why couldn´t he just shut up sometimes? Powers seemed right.

"No, see." He looked up at the ceiling and mumbled something so that his seat moved like office chair that was pushed by someone. Dudley now sat so close to Kitty that he could smell her sweet scent.

He turned a bit in his seat that he was facing her and could look better into these two flawless emeralds that still fixated him with a fear that became almost tangible the longer he looked into them.

"I don´t say that it won´t work, it´s just a lot of work. First we have to get contact to the Leviathan, then we need a whole lot of energy for the ship and last but not least we have to fight for orbital sovereignty. For the contact we can repair the shuttle. About the energy… Well, I think Isaac has to do some science magic there. And the fight… let´s talk about the fight when the time comes."

"So you think it will work?" Kitty still sounded worriedly but instead of fear she had this spark in her eyes. Dudley sighed, he didn´t want to give her false hopes either.  
"That is a question I can´t answer yet." He admitted. "Let´s just take this plan, it´s the only one we have after all, and see how it works out. How those this sound?"

"Uncertain…" Kitty whispered and buried her face behind her hands. She sighed loudly and leaned back in her chair. "I just can´t stand this uncertainty anymore."  
Dudley smiled softly, took her hands and removed them gently of her face. "It was a long day for you, so just relax a little."

"It sounds so simple when you say it." She huffed. "But I can´t simply relax. I have a son whose pubertal attitude drives me crazy, the chief wants me to manage the whole tactical branch of the resistance all alone, Keswick wants me to acquire more and more materials so he can tinker with them, Rob wants…"

Dudley pushed his lips in this moment onto hers. Not only because this was an compulsive urge since the first time he had seen her again, but also because wanted to hear under no circumstances what Rob wanted from her.

Kitty seemed more than surprised by the kiss. Dudley could judge that from her wide open and almost shocked appearing eyes. But nevertheless she didn´t seem to resist against the kiss. As he slowly moved his lips away from hers she was still having this shocked look on her face.

"Well, this doesn´t work as well as expected." Dudley giggled a bit helplessly as he looked into her frozen face. Maybe this was too much for her after this today. After all she was a prisoner a few hours ago on her way to a certain death.

Dudley started to stop smiling and sighed. "Kitty, I am sorry, I shouldn´t have…" In the middle of his apology Kitty broke out of her paralysis and jumped at Dudley pressing her lips almost desperately at his. Dudley had no idea what happened to him.

In this moment he felt like he was intoxicated by her hug, by her lips, by her tongue. The cat and the dog rolled around and fell to the floor. But both didn´t care. The moment´s ecstasy had them in its tight hand and wouldn´t let them go so easy. But a loud metallic knocking should bring an end to this blissful moment.

"Do you hear that?" Panted Dudley.  
"Who cares…" meant Kitty while she was kissing her neck.  
"I´d really like to…" He said and Kitty moaned like she knew what would come next. "Computer, what´s going on?"

Instead of answering the computer made the ceiling to a display that was showing an angry young dog that knocked on, or actually beat on, the ship´s hull.  
Kitty winced as she looked towards the ceiling and in a split second she stood on her feet and fixed her clothes.

She even buttoned her blouse again. Dudley did not even realize that she had opened it. He could have screamed after seeing how close he was to get lucky on the floor of the shuttle. Mumbling curses to himself he got up but immediately sat down as he saw that the little make out session had still quite an impact on his body.

"Behave casually." Kitty, who looked neat again, meant as she sat down. Surprised she now looked at Dudley´s groin. "Hide it!"  
"Uhm… yes." The dog gazed around and then just pulled the levitating tabletop to him.

"Good." Nodded Kitty nervously and then looked up again where her son was.  
"Computer, open." Dudley meant and the hull revealed its entrance. It didn´t take long for Nick to storm inside.

"I knew you´d be here." He hissed looking at his mother.  
"Of course I am here, Nick. I am working with your dad on…" Kitty couldn´t have said anything worse to her son in this moment. Nick´s eyes flared and with a thundering noise he screamed.  
"DON´T CALL HIM LIKE THAT! HE´S NOT MY DAD!"

"Nick, don´t take this tone with me." Kitty said determined and severly.  
Nick stared furiously at his mother just trying to wear her down by his malicious glare. Kitty on the other hand ignored his stare and said calmly. "Nick, we work here. Go back home."

"No." Nick meant. "I´ll stay here."  
Dudley didn´t know if he maybe knew what just happened and wanted to prevent them from going any further, or if he was just playing the angry teenager again. Whatever it was he did a good job. Dudley was no longer in the mood for anything.

"Nick, go!" Kitty meant sounding slightly angry in her sobriety and stood up.  
Dudley sighed and demanded both of them with a nonchalant gesture of his hand to calm down. "Nick." He meant and tried to sound not too stern. "This is a tactical discussion of the next steps. As long as you don´t have the permission, I have to ask you to leave."

"You can´t tell me what to do!" Nick barked at him.  
"Oh, you think so?" Dudley jumped up, luckily his lower limb allowed him to stand up without any embarrassment again, and stepped close to his son who was with his 16 years as tall as he was.

"Right now you are aboard of my ship trying to tell me I can´t give you orders. So if you don´t want me to kick you out of this ship you better tell if there´s a legit reason for you to be here."  
"Oh of course, here´s my reason." Nick flipped off Dudley and grinned.

"Okay, enough." Meant the dog and grabbed his son by the collar. He dragged him into the cave and there he let go of him again. Wordlessly he turned around and walked back up the ramp.  
"Computer. Close." He ordered and the hull followed his command.

"I´m sorry." Meant Kitty and sighed heavily. "Since he is in puberty he always behaves like that…"  
"It´s okay…" Dudley said and walked to the molecular readjuster. "Gin." He meant and a glass full of a clear fluid appeared.

"No, it´s not, I mean, he´s treating everybody shitty… although…"  
"He treats me worse than anyone else, huh?" Dudley had to smiled weakly as he sat down. "I can´t say I don´t understand him… I mean I was never there during his entire life. During all this time he could have needed me, I wasn´t there…" Dudley took a big sip from his glass. "I wish I was there… tell me, Kitty, how was he as a kid."

"Like you during your first years at T.U.F.F." she smirked. "Like a bag full of fleas."  
"What have I done to you?" He laughed and leaned back in his seat. "It must have been a full time job watching over him."

"We all helped together." Smiled Kitty and her face showed that she was just recalling some of the happy memories of her life. "I have to admit, without Keswick and the chief I had probably never made it. They really had my back."

"I have to thank them for being there for you." Meant Dudley.  
"Indeed." Meant Kitty and sighed heavily. "I think I should go, Dudley. It´s time." She stood, took her glass which was still full of water and emptied it. "Rob should be home now too… it´s dinner time. The last piece of normality we have in this nightmare down here."

Dudley nodded and walked to her. He gave her a hug and also wanted to kiss her but this time she avoided his kiss. As Kitty left Dudley was completely unsure what was going on. Just an insecurity and a lot of fear stayed behind.


	6. The train job

**-Well, it´s been a while since the last chapter, huh? I'm really sorry I couldn't be quicker. Hope you enjoy the chapter. Stay tuned for more, I´m still alive ;)-**

Dudley had a rough night after that what happened in the shuttle. Not only that the events there punished him with a few really weird dreams which he luckily just remembered in fragments, but also the Gin he drank made it hard for him to enjoy the rest.

And that even though he actually hated Gin. Dudley wasn´t sure why he drank it at all. He was unsure about the other 3 glasses but the first glass was because of his encounter with Nick and he just needed any ethanol-containing fluid to drink. Gin was just the first thing that popped into his mind in that second.

Seeing the boy had an impact on him every time and it hurt Dudley to see the hate and the anger in the young boy´s eyes. Well, at least he knew the reason why he drank one glass after the other and why he was rewarded with a terrible hangover.

Powers was not very amused seeing Dudley, wearing a big pair of sunglasses, walking into Keswick´s lab, where today´s briefing should be. Of course he received a lecture from Powers what felt for him like torture. He didn´t know if Powers did it on purpose but it felt like he talked extra loud as he scolded him for his misbehavior.

"I hope you understand me." Meant the captain of the Leviathan and crossed his arms in front of his chest.  
"I do…" Dudley suppressed a burp.

"Sly, can we start now?" the tick said and looked annoyed at a little device in her hand.  
"Yes." Powers pointed at a spot next to the others, commanding Dudley silently to take this position.  
"Okay, Captain, what´s on the agenda?" Meternagel seemed oddly motivated.

Usually he never was so motivated when there was work to do. Especially not when it was hard work like in this case. Also the captain noticed his mood.  
"What´s wrong with you?" He asked a little confused.  
"Nothing… uhm, really. Nothing." He meant quickly.

"Well then." Powers shook his head lightly and then looked at the others. "I have a few tasks for everyone and I want you to accept the given tasks without a murmur." He glared over to Isaac who made it apparent on his face that he was more than sorry about what happened yesterday during Dudley´s speech.

"Okay everyone. Much to do and so less time." The captain rubbed his hands. "Meternagel. I want you to give me status report about the shuttle. I want to know how full our energy cells are. And if it´s possible repair some of the damage it took."  
"Shouldn´t that be my part?" Asked René.  
"No. I´ll come to you later." Said the captain while Meternagel saluted and walked away whistling a tune.

"This is somehow disturbing." Mumbled Powers before he turned to the Tick. "We discussed about your mission."  
"I´ll see what I can do. I mean I have the tools." She grinned and then walked away with swaying hips. Dudley didn´t know if he was maybe mistaken but for him it looked like Powers was looking at her butt while she walked out.

Again the captain shook his head, this time like he wanted to get rid of a distraction in his mind, and then meant with a firm voice. "René!"  
"Yes!" the engineer stood stiff and saluted like a soldier.

"I need you to build us some infrastructure here. So the whole thing. But I think you should start with some molecular readjusters. When I look at some of the folks down here I getting the urge to feed them."

"Yes sir!" He meant and wanted to go as a question popped into his mind. "From where do I get the construction components for that?"  
"Dudley and I will take care of that. Take what you can find in the meantime."  
"On it." This time René turned around and left without any further objections.

"Isaac, Dudley has his task already, you are the last one." Powers stepped close to him and looked sternly into his face. "You will work together with this local scientist. Keswok or what his name was. You will work with him and you will behave. Did you understand what I said?"

Dudley realized in this moment that the worst hangover couldn´t be as bad as getting this 'you screwed up and you know it' look from Powers.  
"I understood." Sighed Isaac looking to the ground.  
"Good." Powers nodded and gave him one of his violent pattings on the shoulder. "And remember, if you don´t have anything nice to say, say nothing."

Powers now stepped back and looked to Dudley. "Follow me." He ordered monosyllabically and left the lab. Luckily he didn´t hear Isaac who didn´t take his advice and cursed wildly into his nonexistent beard.

"Okay, Sly." Meant Dudley and took of the sunglasses. It was a brave step, not only 30 minutes ago he had the feeling that the light was trying to burn out his eyes. Dudley regretted his decision as he opened his eyes without the glasses almost immediately. "Dammit…" He cursed and put the glassed back on. It was much better like that.

"That´s your own damn fault." Powers meant still with a bit audible anger in his voice.  
"I know, I know." Moaned the dog annoyed. "I just needed the drink after seeing… my son."  
"Oh…" Powers anger was gone within a split second. "Well, in this case I can at least understand that. But that doesn´t mean I tolerate it."

"Noted." Sighed Dudley. "By the way, where are we going?"  
"Well, you heard it, René needs scrap to knock things together."  
"He actually said construction components." Intervened Dudley.  
"Whatever." Powers meant shrugging. "Anyway, we´ll get it."

"And from where?"  
"Oh, as far as I know the blizards…"  
"It´s lizards." He corrected Powers attempt to say lizard in Dudley´s language.

"Thanks, anyway, these lizards seem to use a primitive railroad system to transport bigger amounts of goods." The captain grinned widely and also Dudley had to smile about the thought that they would probably do a train robbery.

"But wait, it won´t just be the two of us, or will it?" Dudley asked worriedly. Of course the pictures that his mind created for the words train robbery were pretty great but when he thought about planning a train hijack with two people there was an appalling emptiness.

"Of course not. We will ask some of the rebels to help us." Grinned Powers. "I bet your mom would love to join us."  
"You still want to punish me for the alcohol, right?" Moaned Dudley.  
"Not as much as she would want that." Meant Powers baldly and stopped walking in front of a heavy looking metal door.

The captain cleared his throat and then knocked at the door. The door just opened enough for Keswick to stick his head out. "Y..Y..Yes?" The rings under Keswick´s eyes revealed that the scientist hasn´t slept much in this night.

"Good morning." Meant Powers friendly. "I need to speak to the chief, if that´s okay."  
Keswick just looked at him with big eyes and tilted his head.  
"Oh, right, Dudley, could you?" Powers stepped back and Dudley took his place.  
"We´d like to talk to the chief if he´s awake already."

"Oh, s..s..sure." Meant Keswick and opened the door. Inside the little room Peg Puppy, Kitty and the chief sat on a table. To be precisely, the chief sat on a little chair on the table.  
"Good morning everyone." Powers meant and build himself up in front of the table with his arms crossed behind his back.

"He says good morning." Said Dudley and stepped beside him. "And he wants to ask you for help."  
"Help?" The chief hopped from his chair on the table.  
"Indeed." Dudley said sternly and looked at Powers. "Do you mind if I hold this conversation?"  
"Not at all" the captain nodded and Dudley turned back to the chief.

"We need three or four men for a mission."  
"What kind of mission?"  
In this moment Dudley and Powers started grinning and the dog said. "A train robbery."

The faces of all others in the room stared in total disbelieve at them.  
"You kidding me, right?" Asked the chief who was the first who gained his composure back first.  
"Not at all." The dog laughed. "We need resources for our plan and this is the fastest way to get a lot of them."

"But how? How should we…"  
"Let this be our problem." Meant Dudley confidently. "So, who´s in?"  
"Well, I think we can spare a few men…" Mumbled the chief.  
"I´m i..i..in." Keswick exclaimed loudly.

"No, you´re needed here." The dog meant quickly. "You´re needed in the lab."  
"In the l..l..lab, why?"  
"You´ll see." Dudley felt a little guilty for sending Keswick in the arms of Isaac but it was necessary.

"Okay…" shrugged Keswick and sat down at the table.  
"Dudley, tell them that we wait for two hours in this decontamination lock before we go… oh, and tell them to get us the biggest vehicle they can spare. You know why."

Dudley nodded and translated what Powers said. At the end of his translation he turned to Powers "Do you have anything to do for me? Otherwise I´d like to stay here."  
"Nothing to do, just be at the meeting spot in two hours." Powers said, saluted and left the room.

"Well, also from me, good morning guys." Smiled Dudley and received also received friendly smiles from all of them except from Kitty. She just looked at the calm surface of a glass of water that stood in front of her on the table. Dudley wanted to ask what´s wrong with her but his mother stepped between her and him.

"Dudley, you won´t go with this man on this train job." She meant so serious that Dudley couldn´t possibly think that this was a joke of her. He nevertheless laughed.  
"Mom." He chuckled. "Seriously, mom, of course I´ll go with him."

"No, it´s too dangerous."  
"Well, of course it is." He meant grinning widely.  
"See?" Stated Peg. "You won´t go!"  
"Mom, I will go. Or who else should go?"

"I don´t know, one of your friends maybe!"  
"All of them have tasks." Dudley though was still amused by her obvious and deep concern he didn´t want to give her the feeling that he was mocking about her fear. So he knelt down to her, after all she was one of the shortest persons he knew besides the chief, and hugged her. "Mom, I´ll come back. I´m not alone there."

"I don´t want to lose you again, Dudley." Her voice sounded like she was fighting her tears violently.  
"You won´t." He whispered and kissed her on the cheek. Dudley stood back up smiling and the first thing he saw was that Kitty was gone. "Uhm, where is Kitty?"

"She just went out of the door without a word…" The chief pointed at a door on the other side of the room. "And if you excuse me now, I have to prepare something." With a mischievous grin the flea jumped off the table and walked out of the room.  
"Mom, do you mind…"

"Go after her." Smiled Peg and wiped a tear out of the corner of her eye. Dudley took a brief moment to hug her again before he ran through the door the chief pointed at. The door led into a small tunnel that was, unlike the other smaller tunnels down here, at least lighted quite well.

Not good enough to perceive every detail but good enough to see faces. Kitty hasn´t come far in the meantime, she was leaning against the cold stone of the tunnel wall with her eyes closed. It looked like she thought about something. Dudley approached her slowly, not knowing what she was doing there. "Kitty?"

"Dudley." Sighed the cat and opened her eyes green eyes that seemed like spotlights in the darkness for him.  
"Is everything alright?" He asked cautiously.  
"Nothing is alright…" She moaned like she heard the question so often that it became a nuisance. "It never is and it never was…"

"Is there anything I can…"  
"No, nothing…" she shook her head. "There´s nothing you can do… just leave me alone a bit. I really need some space to think."

Dudley stomach rebelled hearing this sentence. "Is this because yesterday?" he quickly asked because he wanted to know at least some reason.  
"Yes and no… it´s all just too much. Me and Rob, me and you… Nick and you… Please, leave me alone a bit, okay? I promise that we will talk about this all later but… I just can´t do this right now."

Dudley felt like the lizard must have felt after had beaten him up right now. "Sure… I, see you around I guess…"  
"Thank you." Kitty meant and closed her eyes again.  
Dudley stood there for a moment not knowing if he wanted to go, cry or force her to talk with him about this.

In the end he decided to do the first and spun on his heel. After all Kitty had promised him to talk with him later. And she always kept her word. Even though he didn´t know if he wanted her to keep it this time. He felt that this conversation would be bad. Really bad.

And with bad he meant that she would decide for this Rob guy. Dudley´s initial shock turned into aggression the longer he thought about it. Rob. What kind of name was that anyway? That sounded just plainly stupid. And besides that, who was he to take his place in his family?

Okay he was taller, looked better and had a better relationship with his son but… Dudley stopped walking as his train of thoughts hit this point. For the first time he asked himself the question if he was really part of this family and not just the biological begetter of it.

Dudley suppressed this because this new thought led to things he didn´t want to think about. Nevertheless the sudden desire for Gin began to grow in him and he still didn´t know why Gin.  
The dog sighed and shook his head. It wasn´t time to focus on something he has to wait for. The best thing was dedicating his attention to something else.

Again Dudley stopped in his tracks, but this time because he had reached the decontamination lock. An interesting view offered to him right in front of the container that was crammed into the tunnel. Captain Powers was standing with his arms crossed behind his back looking at a group of volunteers that had gathered for the mission.

It wasn´t a big group. Actually just three people. One of them was a rat he knew very well from the times when he still has been a secret agent. It was the notorious criminal Verminous Snaptrap. Dudley hadn´t recognized him immediately. The reason for that was the immense change his appearance had went through.

Sure he still was the tall rat with the crooked teeth and the lab coat. But the eye patch and the giant scar that went over his pointy black nose had changed his face a lot. Also it seemed like he lost weight but that was nothing special down here, what was actually nothing too special.

The food supply in the bunker was a mess and most of the rebels were thankful to get at least one meal a day. There weren´t any waves of starvation yet but the people lived in fear of it.  
The next volunteer that stood besides Snaptrap was a female bunny Dudley also remembered.

She was T.U.F.F.´s secretary. Her name was Tammy or something like that, he couldn´t quite remember. But he immediately remembered her from her appearance. Seems like she had to flee from the attack while work, she still wore her purple, but now dusty and worn, pant suit which was the main reason why Dudley recognized her.

The last volunteer, and the only one who tried to communicate with Powers with hands and feet was a female dog with yellowish fur who wore a pink top combined with a purple pants. Also she seemed familiar and as Dudley came closer he froze and had the urge to leave again.

It maybe seemed like a harsh reaction but it´s never nice meeting an ex, especially not in the post apocalypse. And so it was also unpleasant seeing Daisy standing in front of Powers waving her arms around. Also her reaction was not too excited as she saw him.

"Oh… hey." She meant almost frostily.  
"Hey." Replied Dudley tonelessly and looked at Powers who just looked around perfectly ignoring Daisy.

"What´s wrong with that thing? Is he retarded or something?" She asked loud enough for everyone to hear it. Snaptrap giggled a bit while Tammy sighed.  
Dudley was about to say that Powers could understand what they say but couldn´t answer but he decided not to. There was a part in him that enjoyed seeing Daisy getting deeper into troubles the longer she was talking.

"Are these…" Powers raised his voice what made Daisy wince in surprise. "…the only volunteers?"  
"Seems so." Dudley looked around. It didn´t seem that anyone else was coming to them with the purpose of joining their party.  
"Well, two thirds of them of them seem useful." He meant baldly and then started walking towards the containers doors.

With a gesture he commanded them all to follow him, what they of course did.  
The aim of the march that followed was the shuttle in which just Powers went. The others simply couldn´t follow him because he had closed the door after him.

"What´s going on now?" Asked Tammy and the puzzled gazes of the three volunteers moved to Dudley who just shrugged. He also had no idea what Powers was up to now.  
With the usual 'swoosh' sound the shuttle´s hull opened and Powers came out wearing a medical glove on his left hand.

Without even an indication of hesitation he walked up to Snaptrap and pressed his middle and his index finger into the skin on his throat. The other two were so taken aback by that that they didn´t even move what gave Powers the advantage to do the same with them. As the captain was done he stepped two steps away from them and just looked at them expectantly.

"What the hell was that?!" Screamed Tammy more scared then angry. She must have understood that Powers injected something into her blood, at least that would explain why her hands ran searching over her throat.

"I think he drugged us!" Yelled Snaptrap who was almost starting to hyperventilate but suddenly became weirdly calm. "Why am I so angry about this… a trip for free… oh my god it´s already working… wow… all these colors."  
"What did you give us!" Daisy grabbed Powers by the collar and shook him what hardly moved the captain.

"What I gave you…" Said Powers calmly. "Was necessary for our mission."  
Thunderstruck Daisy jumped back and cried out. "He can speak my language!"  
Powers draw breath to explain but he just exhaled and turned around again ordering them with a gesture to follow again.

"What did he injected us?!" Hissed Tammy to Dudley who smiled mischieviously.  
"Well, nothing special, just a load of Fentobots."  
"What?" Snaptrap, who somehow seemed a bit stoned, asked.

"Little robot that probably build a little translation unit on your acustic nerve…"  
The other three stopped as Dudley said that. The dog turned around grinning into their shocked faces. "Guys, they don´t harm you, believe me. I also have them."  
"But isn´t that, I don´t know, dangerous?" Daisy wanted to know and sounded worried.

"As I said, I also have them and I am over 600 years old. They can´t be that dangerous then, can they?" He giggled and turned back around to catch up with Powers who didn´t think about waiting for them.

After a brief run the four of them were able to be right behind him again as he entered the garage. It wasn´t a real garage actually. Just another big former mining cave the rebels had used for their needs. Inside of it a few smaller vehicles, that looked anything but ridable, were rusting.

But in between them a few pickups and trucks stood that maybe also didn´t look so well but at least like they would work. Powers determinedly walked to one of the biggest trucks and turned around to the group as he was there. "Okay, is anyone among you who can drive this vehicle?"

Daisy raised her hand what made Powers sigh. "Okay then get into the cockpit."  
The dog nodded and jumped behind the steering wheel.  
"And to the rest of you." Powers also got into the truck and fastened his seatbelt. "You should probably also get in. I´ll explain the plan on the way to our objective."

Dudley sighed and get inside. He thought Powers would maybe tell him the objective separately from the others. After all he wasn´t a simple volunteer.  
"I treat all my crew members the same, Dudley." Powers said like he could read Dudley´s mind.  
"I know." Meant the dog and leaned back.

He tried to sleep a bit, it would certainly take them a while to arrive at the rails. And sleeping was better than pondering about the things that lingered in his mind about his relationship problems. Everything was better than that actually.


End file.
